turtle

Definitions

Computing

Food

The aquatic version, Chelonia mydas, of the tortoise found worldwide in warm seas. Most varieties have edibleflesh. The green turtle was once famed as the basis of turtle soup but has now been hunted almost to extinction. Turtles have long been exploited in Southeast Asia for their meat and as medicine. Turtle eggs are considered an aphrodisiac, the blood is believed to increase a person’s energy and the ground-up shells are considered to have medicinal properties. To prepare and cook, decapitate the live turtle, drain the blood, blanch for 3 minutes, scrape off the skin, cut the body from the shell, disembowel, rinse and cut the meat into strips.

Information & Library Science

noun a computerperipheral, like a large mouse, used to draw graphics on a VDU

Origin & History of “turtle”

Turtle the dove (OE) and turtle the marine reptile (17th c.) are different words. The former was borrowed from Latin turtur, which no doubt originated in imitation of the bird’s cooing. It is now encountered only in the compoundturtledove, first recorded in the 13th century. Turtle the reptile is more of a mystery. It is generally assumed to be an alteration of French tortue ‘tortoise’ (source of Englishtortoise (15th c.)), but since it is not known wherethat came from, it does not get us muchfurther. The expression turn turtle (which dates from the 19th century) alludes to the practice of sailors turning turtles over on to their backs, like beetles, so that they were helpless and could be easily captured.